7/22/2020

Distributed wind supporters – we have a quick turn-around to gather sign-ons for a new Congressional funding letter, hope to include your companies/organizations as co-signers!

See below for current language. Can you approve including your logo and location(s) similar to last year’s letter?

Who else could you invite? To effectively urge support for DW federal Appropriations, we’re looking to line up a few more signers ASAP in: AK, NH, MT, OR, WI, MN, VT, WA and CA – we’d appreciate if you can quickly send our request along to colleagues working in any of those key states.

Thanks for your consideration, especially during this challenging time – distributed wind has an important role to serve in recovery efforts!

Heather, Lloyd, Britton & Jane

July 28, 2020

Chairman Lamar Alexander, U.S. Senate
Chairwoman Marcy Kaptur, U.S. House of Representatives

Ranking Member Diane Feinstein, U.S. Senate                 
Ranking Member Mike Simpson, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.

Subject:  FY 2021 Appropriations for Distributed Wind

Dear Chairwoman Kaptur, Ranking Member Simpson, Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Feinstein:

On behalf of the Distributed Wind Energy Association, industry and others we urge your continued support for distributed wind power as you complete work on the fiscal year 2021 appropriations process.

As you know distributed wind power has great potential to contribute to the U.S. electricity mix, creating jobs, adding to grid and off-grid resilience and security, and reducing the risk of catastrophic climate change.  Distributed wind power is popular with farmers, ranchers, small and larger businesses alike because it enables significant cost savings with minimal land disturbance while helping to protect the environment.

Distributed wind turbines dot the American landscape, from farms to factories, homes, wildlife refuges, breweries, wineries, ski resorts, and schools.  American made turbines are found in well over 100 countries as well.  And yet this is still a nascent clean energy technology ripe for growth.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates distributed wind power could reach another 49 million sites in the U.S. alone.  It has approximately the same technical potential as offshore wind power.  Notably distributed wind power works well with solar, as well as other distributed generation applications, such as wind/diesel power.  It is a particularly useful resource for rural communities, homes, dairy farms, as well as remote areas with high energy costs.

We are very appreciative of funding improvements in recent years.  This was entirely appropriate to begin correcting historic inequities and to unleash this technology’s true potential.  The funding thus far has been put to good use. 

And yet there is more to be done, including optimizing technology for grid-connected, micro-grid and off-grid market segments, expanding competitive improvement grants, reducing costs for both wind turbines and installations, addressing numerous “soft costs,” and expanding partnerships with key stakeholders; the effort required is real and substantial.

Please stay the course.  We’d urge a line item for distributed wind power this year once again, with $15m, or as close to it as possible.  Our many small businesses, manufacturers, vendors, customers, farmers, all rely heavily on this funding.  It is a vital lifeline to help bolster American jobs and manufacturing, increase farm and rural income, provide homeowners and others energy choice, improve energy security and protect the environment.

Thus, we urge you to maintain, and grow support, with clear directive language, for America’s distributed wind power community and for all the reasons noted above.

We greatly appreciate your consideration and look forward to working with you once again. 

Sincerely,

– 70+ signers, especially in CA, OR, WA, MT, AK, MN, WI, VT, NH –